


Your Text

by Strawberry_latte



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Reveal, Songfic, does this count as a song fic?, i think so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-10-13 01:28:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20574215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_latte/pseuds/Strawberry_latte
Summary: Adrien befriends Ladybug after she agrees to walk with him back home. She gives him her number and he can't tell if he's more shocked that she gave it away so willingly, or, that it's already saved to his phone for Marinette.That doesn't make sense though, right?





	1. Hey Pretty Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> Whooo boy, looks like I'm trying to start something new. The title for this is for the song: Your Text by Sundial. Same with all the chapter titles being song lyrics. I don't reference the song during this at all, it just gave me the inspiration to write this story. 
> 
> I've never written anything for Miraculous before, but I'm already prepared to sacrifice anything to help these sweet dumb children in love. I'd love to hear feedback, but anyways, enjoy!

It wasn’t often that Adrien caught up with Ladybug after an Akuma fight, even rarer had it been him out of disguise. That certainly didn’t help the rapid beating of his heart.

He watched as she pulled out her yoyo and began to wind her arm back, realizing his chance for her to notice him was slimming down much faster than he would like to admit.

“Ladybug can I ask you a favor?” The words slipped out of Adrien’s mouth before he had time to comprehend what he said. They felt weak and he doubted she could hear it over the whirling of the string, yet, in a swift motion, she recoiled her yoyo back and whipped around to find who called out for her.

Adrien couldn’t help the whooshing feeling he felt when their eyes met. Even after looking at her countless times as Chat, there was something different about the way she made him feel out of superhero persona, it was like he was stripped bare of everything he had to protect himself from her piercing gaze.

“Is everything alright, you aren’t hurt are you?” She broke her gaze away and scanned him for any injuries that could be spotted. She strode over and grabbed his arms to check for any if there was anything she could miss, with a nod of her head she let go his arms. It took most of his willpower to not grab back unto her,

“No, I was hoping you could uh,” Adrien racked his head for any ideas of what he could possibly think of as a good excuse for her to stay with him any longer. It wasn’t helping that she was watching him with deep concern reflecting in her eyes. “Could you walk me home?” he pushed the rest of his words out while still formulating a response that wasn’t a total lie. “I was out with some friends today and didn’t tell my father, I don’t wanna risk contacting my bodyguard and getting into any more trouble.”

Ladybug’s eyes began to grow wide, Adrien felt his heart weakened a little, quickly he shot his hands up defensively, “It’s fine actually, I don’t live far I can make it on my own.” He started to turn around and walk away before her hand was gripping him to keep him in place.

“I don’t mind,” she squeaks out before clearing her throat. “I don’t have anything else and it’s my job to protect civilians, like yourself- Not saying you’re I’m sure you’re capable of handling yourself,” She let out a huffy breath before continuing to ramble to Adrien. If he wasn’t so entranced that she was still holding onto him he might have noticed how similar she was to one of his friends.

“Here, just grab me and I’ll yoyo us back in no time” Ladybug huffed out before letting go of him to grab at her yoyo wrapped around her waist.

As much as Adrien wanted to cling onto her and never let go, he knew that there wouldn’t be any chance to actually talk to her if they went back that way. “Wait, I have a fear of heights, could you walk with me back please?”

Ladybug froze up for a second before nodding vigorously and following right next to him on the sidewalk.

Adrien knew it felt silly to get excited over the little things, such as accidentally bumping into each other every few steps. “So Ladybug,” he began keeping his voice cool even with the slight pink creeping up his cheeks, “does it feel weird seeing your face everywhere on the media?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes and pointed at two of the signs in front of them, “I don’t know, does it feel weird for you to see your pretty face plastered all around Paris?” If Adrien wasn’t clinging to every word that fell out of her mouth, he doubts that he’d even notice the tiny compliment she slipped out.

“The Ladybug thinks I’m pretty that’s a pretty big honor,” Adrien grinned at her and couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out when she jumped back embarrassed. “I was pretty sure you the one who’s much prettier between the two of us.” He bumped her with his shoulder and felt his chest swell up when her own face was starting to fill in with a red color.

It didn’t take long for Ladybug to rebuild her courage and find a way to retort back at him, “It’s your job to be pretty, that makes you the prettier one, I only have to be friends with everyone, besides Hawkmoth.”

“Well, that’s where I’d like to counter your point!” He yelled back, there was no point for him to mask his excitement now. “You get to be the pretty friend of everyone, I’m only a stranger who has no impact on them” Adrien shrugged his words off and waited for her to have a comeback, but, Ladybug stopped walking to stare at him with large eyes. Her mouth opened a little into a slight pout.

“You don’t mean that do you?” She asked quietly, worry flooded into her voice.

“Mean what? Adrien asked back, they continued to walk at a slow pace back to his house. He could see the front gates coming up from their close distance.

“About only being a stranger, you have people close to you, don't you?” She asked him with her frown growing larger.  
  
“Of course I do, but it’s hard for me to see them, like today, I had to sneak around just to be out with them for only an hour.” Adrien shrugged it off as if it were nothing, but that didn’t stop the concern he saw growing in Ladybug.

“That’s not a good way to see things Adrien, you need more people who are close around you.”

Adrien felt his body feel hollow at her words. He had people around him all the time- like Nathalie. Plus his life as Chat Noir, though his only close friend then was Ladybug. The same Ladybug who was standing outside his house with him, worried about his welling being.

“Adrien I’ve come up with an idea.” Ladybug cut through the silence he hadn’t noticed was there. She grabbed his wrist and pulled his sleeve up slightly, grabbing the pen from his upper pocket, she scribbled a series of numbers across his forearm. “This is my personal phone number, you are now officially a friend of mine, and as my friend, you can call me whenever you feel like you need a friend. I also can swing by when I think you want a friend, any objections?” The dazzling smile spread across her face was infectious, and even if he wanted to say no, there was absolutely no way he could.

“Thanks, I don’t know what I would do without your help.” He reflected back his own bright smile and wanted to say more to her before the sound of beeping came from her.

Instantly, she reached out a hand to her earrings, “Well looks like I’ll need to go right now, see you soon!” She reached around her waist and launched her yoyo out, before giving a hasty wave over to him.

Adrien watched her zip through the skyline, allowing a small sigh to escape his lips. Almost immediately after sneaking back into his room, he slid into his bed and tried to come up with a message to send to the lady of his dreams.

“You’ve got it bad.” A snicker came from the small cat lying near him.

“Shut it Plagg.” Not even the snide comments coming from his other friend could ruin the nearly perfect way he felt. 

That was until he noticed the number she gave him was already in his contacts under the name "Marinette". 


	2. I think you look cute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost never update this fast, I just really had this idea cooking up all day and instead of writing out a few simple ideas I wrote out the whole thing out, oops.

Marinette practically flew into her bedroom the moment she arrived home. She flung herself into the chair at her desk, rolling in circles and clinging Tikki to her chest. Her whole body felt like it was floating beyond cloud nine,

“Tikki, I can’t believe that happened!” Marinette giggled out. Tikki wiggled out of her tight grip to lay down on the table across from her.

“Marinette that’s fantastic but-”

“I could talk to him Tikki! I’ve never been able to be so natural around him before!” She leaned away to stare at the ceiling with a wild smile.

“I’m so proud of you, but don’t you remember-”

“And do you know what the best part was Tikki?” Marinette leaned back over to cup her into her palms, “We became friends! I gave him my number!” As much as Marinette wanted to spend the next ten years telling anyone who would listen about her accomplishments, she couldn’t help but notice the glare a certain kwami was sending her way.

“Marinette that’s the problem!” Tikki shouted, floating up to stare her in the eyes. “Don’t you realize that you gave him your phone number?” Tears started to build up in her eyes.

“Oh Tikki,” Marinette cooed. She pulled back to look at Tikki softly. “It’s alright, Adrien doesn’t even have my number.” She pulled her phone out to prove to her. “Here look, I have his number only because Alya gave it to me, but if you look,” she clicked on his contact to show her a blank message history. “There’s nothing there, he has no idea that it’s my number.”

Marinette met her uneasy stare with a steady one of her own. “Nothing bad can come out of this, I promise.” She raised her right and over her hand, “Ladybug promise, I Marinette Dupain-Cheng did not incriminate myself by giving Adrien my phone number.”

Tikki opened her mouth to push the subject a bit father when at a sudden buzzing came from the phone in Marinnetes hand. She let out a yelp, nearly dropping the thing, she stumbled and slid the screen open to see one new message. Her breath faltered as she glanced at the text sent to her.

_I just wanted to say thanks again to you Ladybug for walking me home! I can really count on you to be a good friend. This is Ladybug right?_

A breath she didn’t realize she was holding escaped her lips as she turned the phone to let Tikki see it. “See? He has no idea if it's me,” her fingers moved quickly to send back a response before she put her phone back down. After more convincing, Marinette agreed to set the phone away to focus on her incomplete work in front of her. Her focus was still floating with a thousand different thoughts. She wanted nothing more but to know what Adrien thought of Ladybug. How come Adrien got to get Ladybugs number but not hers though? Was it fair? It hurt a bit to think about, yet, was she even as close with Adrien as she thought she was? Over the past few weeks she felt that she was getting closer to Adrien if anything, however, she still struggled to get a few words out of herself when as Marinette. If she could possibly spend more time seeing him as the confident Ladybug than she could actually get comfortable around him.

A loud buzzing of her phone going off pulled Marinette from her spiraling thoughts, she reached over to grab it only to notice her little friend holding it instead.

“What if it’s from Alya about the homework?” she said while reaching over to grab it.

Tikki pulled back farther and shook her head, “It’s not, keep studying.”

“I’ll go back to working in a minute I promise, lemme see it real quick,” she made the biggest pouty face she could muster. Seeing Tikki cave in slightly, she snatched it quickly and who sent the message.

Adrien. Again. The pounding in her heart traveled to her ears, she knew she was blushing and couldn’t help it.

_If your schedule is free I would really like it if you could come over tomorrow._

Whooping, Marinette stood up from her seat and danced around excitedly. Ignoring the glares from Tikki she responded a slightly less excited yes. Adrien wanted to see her again. Well Ladybug, but that’s still her. Even if he doesn’t know it.

The red polka-dotted spirit managed to yank the phone out of Marinette's hand before trying to calm her down a bit to do her tasks.

“He wants to see me again soon!” Marinette flopped on her bed dramatically and tried to grab at the giggling kwami zipping around her.

“That’s great news, but you’ll see him tomorrow at school either way”

“This is different,” Marinette whined. “He wants to see Ladybug, the cool and confident.” Marinette mocked a superhero pose, placing her hands on her hips.

“You are both of those things as Marinette,” Tikki assured her. Tikki turned her attention to the time on the phone she placed on Marinette’s desk. “If you even want to make it see him on time for tomorrow, you better finish the work you have now!”

Marinette groaned dramatically as she pulled herself up to get back to her desk. “I suppose that’s fair, thanks Tikki.” She gave her an affectionate rub on the head, before returning back to what she was doing.

It took twice as long as it normally would to complete working and still she smiled the entire time.

* * *

It took Adrien half an hour to organize out his thoughts. Why did Ladybug give him Marinette's phone number? He stared back at the blank contact for Marinette which only had her name and a series of numbers underneath it. Those same numbers that Ladybug wrote across his arms mere minutes ago.

At first, he assumed Alya most likely gave him the wrong number and had to text her to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t

He got an enthusiastic response back from Alya with the same numbers that she gave him before.

“Plagg, Ladybug wouldn’t give me the wrong phone number would she?” Adrien asked him nervously, noticing the weird way his kwami was looking at him.

“I-I don’t know, maybe?” Plagg responded. His voice was uncharastically quiet, taking a long time to even respond. He had trouble keeping eye contact, looking anywhere besides Adrien.

Adrien wasn’t the greatest at reading behaviors, but he knew that his kwami never spent more than a half-second to respond to anything. That didn’t make sense. Marinette was Ladybug? They were both honest, caring, sweet, and always someone Adrien felt he could trust. Was it that easy? He felt the denial still building up, even when the proof was lying in front of him.

He shakily typed out a thank you to the number, attaching a quick confirmation to see if maybe there was a mistake somewhere. His head felt mushy and a part of him really wished there wasn’t an error.

Of course, that made him feel guilty. He shouldn’t want to force people to be someone just to meet his convenience. And yet, it made so much sense he cared for both of them so much it would only feel natural that they were the same person.

His phone screen lit up and it felt like time stopped when he read the text. It was barely two sentences and he kept going back over it again and again.

_Yup, Ladybug here! I can totally make tomorrow work. And it was no bother to walk my “pretty friend” back home!!!_

It was true. That was Ladybugs number, she even responded back mentioning something only she would know. That was the same number he swore belong to Marinette.

“Plagg did you know?” His voice felt weak, not just his voice, his whole body felt weak. There had to be an explanation behind this besides what he was thinking.

“I was pretty sure you would find out on your own.”

Adrien felt dizzy. Was it that obvious? He just learned who was behind the mask of who he was in love with, and it was Marinette. He got up and grabbed his class photo off his table. There she was smiling so beautifully it seemed to be screaming at him how clear it was.

“I’m going to bed,” was the only response he could manage.

“What? You just found out macho news and decide now is the best time to sleep! You haven’t even had dinner yet!”

“I’m going to bed Plagg, goodnight.” In truth he didn’t sleep much that night, instead, he spent most of his time thinking of two amazing girls who happened to be the same.

If Plagg noticed Adrien woke up the next with a giant smile, he certainly didn’t mention it.

* * *

His eyes scanned the room for her the moment he got to school, ignoring the chatter from his classmates. A plan was constructing itself in his head.

When she came running in a few minutes before the bell rang, he noticed her bright eyes and how they lit up when seeing her friends. He also couldn’t help noticing how similar it was to another lady’s when thinking of a plan against an Akuma. His mind was set then.

“Hey, Marinette!” He waved. She gave a short wave back, before managing to stumble and trip over the step up to her desk.

He rushed forward and grabbed her mere moments before she would’ve crashed onto the floor.

“I just wanna say I like your pigtails! I think you look cute!” He offered her a smile, that she shied away from.

“Th-thanks Adrien,” she muttered it out before going to her own desk where a certain blogger friend of theirs had a face that looked almost too mischievous. He wasn’t able to focus on her though, his attention drawn to a wonderfully shy girl next to her.

He was still figuring out, but he knew for sure what he wanted to do. He was going to make Marinette fall in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow Adrien is both the smartest and dumbest person at the same time, and I still respect him for it.


	3. Can I get you number?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankfully, I wasn't too stacked with work today and was able to get this out sooner than I anticipated. Unforuttenly I won't have time to write tomorrow, but the next update should be expected somewhere between 3-5 days. 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to everyone who has left a sweet comment the past few days, you have no idea how it has motivated me to keep writing. Same with kudos and bookmarks! It really makes my day to see people enjoying what I've written!

At this point, Marinette was willing to check to see if she happened to be born with two left feet.

“You’ll never guess who asked me about you last night,” Alya leaned over to whisper as she pulled her seat out. The smile on her face grew as she not so secretly pointed towards their blonde friend a seat in front of them.

Marinette couldn’t help rolling her eyes as she sat next to her. As much as she trusted Alya to tell her the truth, she also knew Alya had a tendency to slightly exaggerate her story.

“Oh no way, I’m so glad Nino cares about my wellbeing.”

Alya laughed, matching her over the top eye roll before giving her a shove. “I’m being serious!”

Marinette doubted Adrien had the time to ask Alya about her, considering she knew he spent a good portion of his time texting a spotted heroine. She racked her brain for a reason why Adrien would ask Alya about her and pulled out blanks. Her face must have shown her confusion because not even a second later Alya started to tell Marinette a recollection of her entire night.

“Right after I took a shower and twenty-three minutes before I had to get the twins to finish their homework, I got a text from him asking-” Wherever Alya was going got cut off by Adrien clearing his throat before turning around to face them.

“Alya,” he said quickly, making a point to lock eyes with her. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to discuss that.” a small wink was sent her way that if Marinette wasn’t so focused on him she’s positive it would have gone by unknown.

A shiver ran down her spine. Tension filled the air around Marinette, her senses were almost as notched up as they when using her miraculous. The sudden silence of Alya didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the occasional glances that Adrien sent her way. She attempted to discreetly act as if she couldn’t feel her friends' not-so-hidden glances sent her way.

The bell rung, forcing Marinette to shake off any of her suspicions. Any sleuthing she wanted to do on her friend's peculiar behavior would have to wait.

Without much of a warning, the thought hit her hard.

Did Adrien know Ladybug gave him her number? She stifled a groan and turned her view towards Alya. If the two were correlating last night then one of them must have made the connection and told the other.

No, she reminded herself that it must be some coincidence. If Alya had known Ladybug knew her phone number she would’ve confronted her when Adrien first brought it up. Considering she hadn’t received a rapid phone call from her last night, that ruled Alya out of knowing.

That didn’t give an explanation to the near flirtiness Adrien was showing earlier. She couldn’t help looking back his direction, only to find him staring at her. His eyes widened before spinning back around swiftly.

Marinette was tempted to start pulling her hair out around now. Right now she believed it was simple paranoia and didn’t want to spend too much time considering if it were possible she gave her identity away so easily.

In truth, Adrien had always been overly friendly, to the point of practically flirty behavior. Never had it been almost bluntly obvious or purposeful. With her newfound Ladybug confidence, maybe she was too busy shying away from him to notice the little things like this side of his personality. If she thought too hard it reminded her of Chat.

Right, him. How on earth was she going to tell him that she might have possibly, accidentally given her identity away to the boy she liked. She secretly wished that if she were to spill to anyone who she was, it would be him first.

Did she really have to choose who to tell first? If Adrien came up to her, there would be no way of letting Chat know first. Unless of course, she told him herself before Adrien had the chance to ask her.

She tried to shove the idea back, right now Chat Noir had nothing to do with her Adrien problems. It wouldn’t be right to involve him in it, even if he’s the only person who could begin to understand the problem she created.

She’d address it with him later, right now she wanted nothing more but to discover the reasoning for why Adrien was twisting her heart more than normal. If that were even possible.

How on earth Marinette survived till lunch stumped her.

* * *

Alright, Adrien had a confession.

After his slight crisis of connecting the dots (or should he say- connecting the ladybug dots). He had to ask Alya about Marinette.

He might have told Alya his a slight adaptation of his plan the night before over text.  
After his first message asking what Marinette’s number was, a flow of followup questions were sent his way from the persistent journalist. At first, he gave a short response that he wanted to work with Marinette on the next school project (which in his defense was true). Alya believed him, at the same time, she continued to nag him until he caved in. He confided that he had been wanting to get closer to Marinette recently, though he hadn’t had the chance or a reason for trying until earlier that day.

Even with keeping out the incriminating details, it wasn’t difficult to see how similar Alya’s response to Marinette's favorite things matched what his Lady had told him previously. Little things such as how Marinette loved planting lilies and Ladybug considered lilies to be most gorgeous flowers, made a part of himself feel warmer.

The hardest part had been her assuring that she’d stay silent. At least after the incident that morning she appeared to be putting on a good show of denying all accusations Marinnette sent her way.

It certainly didn’t help that every time she looked his way, a part of him wanted to burst. It wasn’t fair that a single person got to be that lovely. It took most of his self-control to stop himself from telling her every single thing that amazed him about her, which almost seemed endless.

When she caught him staring at her, he hadn’t even noticed until a few seconds past. Without thinking, he whirled himself back around in his seat. Even with the temptation to slam his head into the desk, he maintained sitting upright so she couldn’t at least see the physical pain he felt to be caught staring at her.

He also learned very quickly that keeping up a facade of “friendly flirting” was much more difficult when you didn’t have a mask to hide your face. Most of his suave ideas in his head ended up becoming tinier actions that he doubted she would even pay attention too. That stupid smirk he sent her during lunch? Well, it most definitely went overlooked as she turned her head almost right away to listen to whatever Nino was saying.

He sent a side look towards Alya, almost pleading for her to do something that would save him from the embarrassment he couldn’t hide from. Whatever luck that most have followed Marinette must have rubbed off on him somewhere because Alya was quite kind enough to take pity on him.

“Nino I was thinking for the partner project we’re doing in chemistry we would work together,” Alya said, with no attempt to hide the gleam behind her eyes and widening grin.

“Well that’s great and all, but I was already expecting to work with Adr-” before Nino could finish his sentence, a swift kick was sent his way.

“What I meant to say,” a cool glare was sent back to Alya. “Is that yes, I too think it would be an outstanding idea if I could partner up with you this time around.”

This was his chance. He took the slightest second to calm himself so when he spoke it wouldn’t come out jumbled.

“Marinette,” she tilted her head his direction. She wasn’t even trying to look beautiful, and yet here she was with her big questioning eyes that made him falter. “I was thinking it would be cool if we worked together this time around. You always do so well on tests and I think you’d be an amazing partner to work with.”

There. He may have blattered a bit more than he had wanted to, but his message got out.

“Thanks, Adrien. I, uh, yeah I would like to be your partner.” As soon as she completed her statement, she rushed back into eating her food like it was the biggest task she needed to complete at that minute.

Adrien really hoped he wasn’t imagining the smile that ghosted Marinette’s lips when she said yes.

* * *

Was this even real anymore? Marinette doubted she was living her life.

Back in class, she wrote out her schedule. Most of her time would be with Adrien, as not only Marinette but Ladybug. How could she manage to sneak around without him noticing? And if an Akuma struck? She couldn’t protect him as Marinette and she almost certainly couldn’t just transform in front of him. And to go back to that cat, she couldn’t leave him on his own when an Akuma hit.

She needed a break. Often times her break from managing her double life was seeing a friend, and yet the exact reason as to why she needed this break was because of her friend.

The worst part was that in her head was that she didn’t feel bad for trying to fit him in. She knew Tikki was attempting to persuade Marinette from possibly giving herself away, but, for Adrien, anything felt like it was worth it. She just really hoped it didn’t come down to her revealing herself.

“Mari, sorry to bother you but I got an important question.” Only one person in their class called her Mari. She forced herself to turn around and see him.

Right away she felt like pudding from merely looking at him. She hardly acknowledges the soft yes that escapes her lips.

“I know this is gonna sound awkward because we’ve been friends for a long time now,” She slightly begged he wasn’t going to ask what she thought he was going to. The innocent and friendly smile he wore pushed down her thoughts of worry. There would be no way any harm could come from someone so genuinely pure.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten your phone number before. Is it possible for you to give it to me?”

Marinette had about five seconds to prepare an excuse before she would combust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the most haunting quote a teacher has told me today was my Honors French teacher who told us "I am a messenger from god" and I still can't stop thinking about it. 
> 
> On the other side, I hope you're all having a good day and liked this chapter.


	4. I wanna know you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh over 100 kudos!!! Thank you so much to everyone the feedback is honestly so wonderful, you have no idea how much I appreciate! 
> 
> The next chapter should be out between 2-6 days??? I got a strong idea for it, I just need to find the time to write. 
> 
> For now, enjoy this chapter!!

Dread pooled into Marinette's stomach and clenched unto her tightly.

“Funny thing, my phone has gone missing! And I don’t have my number memorized so I can’t give it to you, sorry!” The words came out in a messy rush, she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye as she lied through her teeth, worried he would see the guilt behind them.

Marinette detested lying, but as of right now that was the only resort she had left. Was she supposed to just let him know that easily? What if he hated her, she could hear his accusations already. Blame that she only acted kindly towards him as Ladybug out of pity. There was no way she could let that happen.

“Oh that’s alright,” He reassured her, his hand brushed her shoulder quickly for comfort. Maybe she was imagining how his words sounded hollow as if he were expecting something else. Great. She hurt one of her best friends.

Swallowing hard, Marinette forced herself to meet his eyes again. “What if you came home with me after school tomorrow to work,” Her body felt weak as the words came out. She wanted to congratulate herself on not stuttering, that is if right she wasn’t too caught up with a feeling as if she betrayed him.

Adrien’s caring smile never left his face. Though for a moment, Marinette could’ve believed she saw sadness flickered behind his eyes. “That sounds great Marinette. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Y-yeah see you then,” if something could fall down from the sky and hit her it would be greatly appreciated. Just when she hoped she had some control over speaking smoothly, her sentence came out stumbled and rapidly. She wouldn’t blame Adrien if he decided to change his mind and work with Nino instead.

The wave he sent her before leaving the classroom almost made the guilt tear through her. She doubted he even believed her, perhaps if felt so ashamed of how she acts that it grew to regret.

Could she even bring herself to see him in a few hours as Ladybug? If she let her one mistake eat her up like this, she doubted she could handle being able to carry out a normal conversation as Ladybug.

No, she chided herself. Ladybug was different. Marinette could argue that in some ways Ladybug wasn’t even her. Ladybug was brave, speaking whatever she felt was right and could make everyone feel important. Those were things Marinette could never do on her own if it wasn’t for the magic behind the mask which aided her.

Marinette wished she could be the strong Ladybug right now.

* * *

Adrien wasn’t very shocked that Marinette lied to him at first, but it did throw him off guard. He could tell that it bothered Marinette to lie to his face like that, and at the same time, he didn’t blame her. After all, what if it were the other way around? He’s noticed before that as Chat he couldn’t help oversharing with Marinette, telling her things he wouldn’t even consider letting others know about it. His heart tugged as he remembered her strong attitude and the occasional sarcasm she had shared.

He ran a hand through his hair as a worrisome question struck him.

How would Marinette react when she found out?

He couldn’t stifle his groan, hardly noticing the look Plagg sent. She clearly didn’t hate either version of him, yet, if she found out he was hiding the face he knew about her, how would she respond? Would she hate him? More so, why didn’t think of it before? He was well aware of her secret and rather than letting her know, he encouraged Marinette to come over as Ladybug later, and he made it worse earlier today by confronting her. She would probably think he was using her for some terrible form of amusement, when in reality-

“You’re pacing again.” Adrien turned towards the irritated voice of his kwami, who although expressed concern in his voice still seemed more interested in eating.

“I’m not.”

“In the past two minutes while you had your mini existential crisis you’ve walked from one wall to the other twelve times which is quite impressive for the length of your room.”

Adrien shot a glare towards Plagg, he’s pretty sure he’s more of a demon than anything else.

“What I’m telling you is that you need to stop panicking. What’s done is done.”

“But-”

“No interruptions, you really need a filter.” Plagg popped the rest of cheese in his mouth as if showing his undivided attention was now on finishing his speech, “You’re worrying too much. If she didn’t care about you or your feelings she wouldn’t have agreed to spend so much time with your annoying self.”

“That’s great for now, but if she finds out that I’m Chat Noir she’ll-”

“For my own sanity shut up.”

Adrien opens his mouth to continue speaking, still, Plagg carried on interrupting him.

“And if she finds out, she’ll handle it in her own way. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to be tortured by watching one of you know the identities of each other and trying to keep it under wrap.”

Adrien did feel a bit relieved to know Plagg cared enough to speak up and say something. It was possible that Plagg wasn’t just a gremlin sent to annoy him.

“I should add that you’re doing an awful job, hiding the fact you know.”

Nevermind. Plagg was a gremlin.

“Besides you’ve spent so much time freaking out over what she might think of you, that you forgot she’s gonna be here any moment.”

Plagg was right. Adrien has wasted all his time thinking about her, his mind slipped that she would appear soon. He grabbed at his pocket to pull out his phone and see if any messages had come in from her.

Sure enough, an *I’m on my way* had been sent to him a few minutes ago.

If he couldn’t make up for making Marinette uncomfortable earlier, the least he could do was make Ladybug feel better.

* * *

A gentle knock came from outside his window a few minutes later. Adrien couldn’t tear the excited look off his face when he noticed Ladybug outside waving at him. He rushed forward to open the latch as she swung in gracefully.

Adrien made a note in his head to ask Marinette if she’s ever taken dance lessons before. There’s no way it should be possible to land that spectacularly even with a sliver of magic and luck on her side.

“Sorry if I’m a little late, I lost track of time.” She shuffled over to the side awkwardly, as if she were unsure of what to do with herself.

“It’s okay I did too,” His mind went back to Marinette. Her laugh, that rang in his ears long after she finished. And of course, her bright blue eyes that never dimmed. Especially behind her mask. He forced himself back into reality, noticing the way Ladybug was looking at him.   
“Lost in thoughts?” She asked curiously. The corners of her mouth curled up.

“You have no idea.” Adrien surprised himself with how breathy his words came out. He was shocked by how honest they were. For the past two days, Marinette had been the only thing he could focus on. Whenever he realized something else was on his mind, it was as if a switch went off turning his gears back into place for her.

“About what?” She slides up next to him on his bed. They sat nearly a foot apart, for Adrien that small distance felt like so much more.

“A classmate.” He could tell he was leading her on, noting her puff of frustration.

“Do I need to worry about you replacing me?”

“Maybe, she is pretty amazing.”

“Ohhhhh she?” The playful smile on her face lowered a bit, but she did her best to hide it.

“Yeah, my friend Marinette.”

It didn’t go past Adrien that her face flared up when he mentioned her name. The smile that dwindled a second ago, came even brighter than before. If he didn’t already know it was her behind the mask, he would have gotten pretty suspicious. He felt drawn in by how she leaned closer to him. Her eyes danced a bit, the curiosity behind them undeniable. The look behind them was so exact to how Marinette looked before she raised her hand to ask a question in class. Everything about her made his whole essence feel like it was burning up. It didn’t matter to him if she were wearing her spotted clothes or not, the two parts of her were seamless at this point. He could see every little part of her identity clash over with the other.

“She’s gotta be something special if you’re thinking about her that much.” Ladybug grabbed at her knees, awkwardly. Her eyes were fixated on him, seeming to try to read the deepest part of his soul. If Adrien could open up his soul and let her in to see it all he would do so without hesitation.

“Ladybug, it would take more than all the time in the world to tell you what makes her so special.” He shifted his body closer to hers. She reacted by clutching the corners of his bed, staring at everywhere but his own. He wanted to grab her and pull in close and kiss her beautiful smile senseless.

Her lips parted as if she were going to say something else, instead, she closed her mouth again before making a hand gesture for him to continue. He realized this was his moment to tell Marinette how wonderful he thought she was.

  
“Not to mention she so strong and cares for everyone on such a deep level it makes everything surrounding her seem a little bit better than everything else in the world.”

“She sounds great Adrien.” Ladybug twiddled her thumbs, she stopped looking at him. Instead, her focus was on the floor beneath her, where her feet shuffled.

“But?” Adrien asked her. She struggled to maintain her cool face, having a hard time coming up with a response.

“But not everyone can just be strong. I’m not strong, especially without this mask.” Her voice came out hoarse. She turned her body away from his. The typical Ladybug bravado was replaced with a quieter version of herself.

“What do you mean you aren’t strong? You are Ladybug.” He pulled at her knee, she turned her face back his way slightly, he noticed the tears shining behind her eyes.

That strength comes from inside of you and I know that you are capable of being the hero you are in every second of your life even if you don’t think so. I bet it bleeds through all the time without you even noticing.”

He wants to add on her name, Marinette, at the end. It forms on his tongue but dies out before he can open his lips. He’s not ready yet to give away her secret without her permission.

“Thank you, Adrien,” Ladybug reached her hand over to hold his for a moment. He felt his chest hammer. “I really needed to hear that you have no idea.”

Adrien opened his mouth to respond back. The way she watched him was practically intoxicating. Maybe he could just move in closer and…

Ladybug furrowed her brow as she suddenly pulled away to grab at her yoyo out and slide it open.

“Looks like there’s an Akuma attack not far from here, I gotta go right now.” She stood up to clamor back out the window she came from earlier.

“See you soon, I mean it.” She called out from over her shoulder. Her voice regained some of her former confidence. She sent him a smile and a short salute before swinging off and away. It sent chills running down his spine.

He grinned at the spot Ladybug was sitting in not long ago. If only she understood how soon she would be seeing him again.

From his hiding spot, Plagg flew out to rest on his shoulder.

“I can’t believe I’m going to have to deal with more of this in a minute” Plagg made the point to demonstrate an over the top barfing gesture.

Adrien shook his head, he knew it was Plagg’s way of showing that he cared.

“Plagg, claws out!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?? Is that Chat Noir coming up soon? Oh dear. 
> 
> This also marks where I'll start progressing the plot quite a lot. I got a couple of ideas and that's part of the reason why updates may slow. It's that I'm deciding how I want to play out the story.


	5. Tell me your secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If only Chat wasn't so difficult to think of how to write, this would have been out a little sooner. I also have tons of work coming up this week and may not be able to write again until this weekend. If that does happen, I apologize now and will do my best attempts to get the next chapter up in less than a week. 
> 
> For now, happy reading!

Marinette could feel her heart soaring as she zipped across rooftops. Adrien cared for her, not just as Ladybug but as herself. He, the Adrien Agreste who could light up the entire world with his sweet face and even sweeter words thought she was something special.

Oh, her heart. It really felt like all the good things in her life was enough to make it burst.

She leaped off the next rooftop to see her partner already waiting around the corner for her.

“You must have been in the area, sorry to keep you waiting.” Ladybug landed in front of Chat, before turning the corner and scanning the skyline for the spotting of the Akuma. Sure enough, not farther down was the familiar pattern of pink and gray.

“Don’t worry my lady, I only arrived seconds before, although I must admit that the time without you was quite tortuous.” A grin spread across his face as he moved around her side to peer for the Akuma.

“Nothing special, just Mr.Pigeon.” Ladybug pitched in her response.

Chat leaned all the way over her side to catch a glimpse, before turning back around the corner. He shot her a wild smirk as he walked around the roof next to her.

“Oh no,” Ladybug began. “I know that smile, don’t say it.”

She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but messing around with Chat always made her feel lighter. Even with the pressing matter of an Akuma. Plus there was no denying the growing smile on her face, which she could tell he had also noticed.

“You versus me bug.”

“Last time we did this it ended horribly.” Ladybug shook her head to get her point out.

“How quickly do you think I can catch him in my claws?”

She groaned deeply to mask the laugh she was stifling. If anyone could make her amazing afternoon even better it would be Chat.

“Unless of course, you already acknowledge that I am superior in Akuma trapping and give up to even attempt to challenge me.” He says wickedly. Seeing that Ladybug made no attempt to follow after him, he sighed before leaping over the skyline to chase after the swarm of pigeons.

“Wait, that’s not fair you got a head start!” Ladybug yelled after him, whipping out her yoyo to catch up with her partner who was currently flinging himself towards the Akuma.

“Sorry bug-a-boo,” he shouted back, reaching closer to the Akuma before her. “I’m pawsitively sure this cat has it in the bag though!”

Ladybug whirled herself around the Akuma, summoning her lucky charm to finish it off before her partner could beat her to it.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Chat Noir jumped to the side to avoid an attack, after dodging he extended his staff and reached out for the birds' whistle.

Adrenaline pumped through Ladybug as she molded herself into her work without thinking. With nights like these Marinette felt her whole body pulse with excitement. Considering how often Mr.Pigeon came after them the fight would often be boring for her. Yet, as of right now sparks of energy flew off her as she competed with her partner to grab the akumatized item first.

“Ha, got it!” Chat shouted proudly, snapping the whistle in his hand. The dark butterfly emerged only to captured and released by Ladybug seconds later.

“Fine, you win this time,” Ladybug huffed out before returning his fist bump. “Next time I’m getting it first.” She waved goodbye to the citizens who gathered around before swinging out with Chat following behind her.

“Not surprised I won, I am purrfect after all,” he snickered as he landed next to her unto of another building to stare down the city below them. “I will admit it was a close tie, but if you really think you can beat me-”

“Alright Chaton, that’s enough for now.” Ladybug attempted her best to sound strict, but she couldn’t hide the humor behind her words.

For a moment the two just sat together, enjoying the silence with the presence of each other. The breeze was enough to relax Marinette enough to forget her worries about, well, everything. She understood the consequences of her job, often feeling tired or strained from a day of school and then Akuma fighting during the day at some point as well. As of right now though, she felt like this negativity was carried off in the wind along with Chat’s soft humming.

“What’s that song?” She asked curiously. The humming abruptly stopped.

He shared a small smile, but behind it, Ladybug could see hurt.

“It’s a piano tune,” he glanced over to her and scooted closer. “If you’re okay with me revealing a bit more about myself, I can tell you about it.”

Ladybug was suddenly reminded of how little she knew about her friend. It was her idea to keep as much of their hero life and normal life apart. However, when moments like these happened it hurt her to remember that there are so many aspects of his life she may never know about.

“One secret if fine,” she said slowly by drawing out her words so he would pay attention. “But, try to keep it vague if you can.”

“Only one? That’s hardly any fun my lady,” he laid down and stared at the sky. It was still a bright blue with a hue of red beginning to settle. “It’s a song my mom used to play.”

Marinette was acutely aware that the word used slipped from him. She had the politeness not ask him about it. Instead, she shared a fact about herself.

“Wanna know a secret of my own?” The words slipped out gently. Chat back perked up and nodded vigorously. Seeing his face light up so quickly caused her to giggle at his behavior. If she weren’t already living off the energy she had since she left Adrien’s she would definitely feel start to feel it around now.

“My sweet bug wants to tell me about her life? What a dream come true!’ He jokingly clasped his hands over his heart and swooned in place.

“Just for that, you’re getting vague details only!” She shoved him slightly as his laughter chimed mockingly at her.

“Alas, my plan has been foiled by the lovely lady in red, Ladybug herself!” A hand fluttered to his head and he sighed dramatically. Holding his pose out for much longer than he needed, he eventually settled as he turned his attention back to her way. “I only joke my dear friend, please continue purring your secrets unto me.”

“Augh, not another pun,” She scrunched her face for a moment. “I’ve never said it allowed to anyone besides my best friend, sure everyone knows but…”

“But?” He turned his face to the side and stared at her questioningly. Marinette would be lying if she said she didn’t feel her heart rate increase.

After the two days of seeing Adrien and getting to know him better as Ladybug, it was more obvious than before how fixated she was on him. Having the chance to see him more made it easier for her to not only talk to him but really realize why she likes him so much. Marinette knew Chat was aware that she was in love with someone else, but she was still scared to tell him any more details. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her partner's heart, even if it was so easy for her to spill it all to him.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you anymore Chaton.” Her words lacked the excitement they had before when she first started to open her heart in front of him.

“Ladybug, is there any reasons why?”

“I,” she hesitated, her heart was afraid to tell him how much she cared about his well being. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“Ladybug,” a hand gripped hers tightly. She looked up to see his eyes glittering in front of her. “You won’t hurt my feelings, I promise. If this is about the boy you love I already know.”

“Things are just going really well between us. You wanna know what he asked me the other day?” Ladybug saw him nod slowly, his gaze was still on her. It was part of the reason why she struggled to tell him.

“What did he ask?” His voice was smoother than usual, his enthusiasm from earlier subsided to a calm tone.

Marinette tried to contain the grin that blossomed across her face, even if it was pointless. “He asked to be my partner for a project.” Chat chocked silently next to her, thankfully she was to busy gushing her feelings to notice.

“R-really?” His voice came out in more of a squeak than he expected. To cover up Chat cleared his throat, which he received an odd look for.

“Yeah,” She bobbed her head. “I was shocked too. I knew he considered me a best friend of his, but never could I picture he would actually want to work with me on something.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. If you’re only half as brilliant under that mask as you are now, you’d still be the smartest girl in Paris.” He bumped his knee against hers, earning a grin in reply. “This best friend of yours…” His voice trailed off as if he were trying to come up with a way to word his sentence. Each word came out huskier than the last. “He’s the one you’ve been in love with the whole time?”

Ladybug looked away from him towards the setting sky. If she hadn’t she may have noticed the stricken look in his eyes and the hope that shimmered behind them. Both of them had a large smile curling up their lips that neither one could see.

“Oh Chat,” Ladybug curled her legs into her chest. The air between them felt stiffer, and yet at the same time, it felt normal. Marinette couldn’t recall if she’s ever been able to say her feelings so calmly and put together that exact moment.  
  
“How do I tell my best friend that I’ve been in love with him since the start?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, who's the dumb one? It's both of them. I hope you Marichat and Adrientte fans are ready because be prepared for them in the next upcoming chapters! :)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left a nice comment over the last few chapters, especially those who leave one regularly! It really motivates me to keep writing during any downtime I can find!


	6. Tell me your fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Nearly two months?? I just wanna apologize... but I am back!!!! School has been, to simply say, a complete ass-kicker. My extra curriculums have been starting up, plus I've had an extreme amount of homework in the past, well months. I really wanna apologize to anyone who has been waiting. I should have gotten this chapter out much sooner as I had the majority of it written for a while, I mainly struggled to find a way to end it and after a while (and many different re-writes) I finally came to what we have today. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has waited out for this update. I cannot promise when the next one will be out, however, I am currently outlining it (and the next few) as soon as I post this one!

The pounding behind Adrien's ears only grew. Ladybug kept her gaze towards the dust of pink leaving sky. The night chill would’ve caused him to shiver if he wasn’t so appalled by the words that left Marinette’s mouth only seconds ago. 

All of this time, they’ve been running in circles around each other. It wasn’t as one-sided as he made it out to be. Adrien couldn’t stop the ever-growing grin that devoured his whole face. Right then and there, he could drop his mask and show her. His mouth started to form the syllables when his brain kicked into gear. 

She was giving this truth to Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste. He had no idea if she would react positively to his reveal. She might be in love with Adrien, but Chat was someone else entirely to her. He knew That as Chat he could only be her friend and that’s all. Even if it made his heart ripple, yearning to let her see him, it wasn’t the right time. 

After all, he’s been rejected more times than he can count as Chat Noir, why would it suddenly change because Adrien just so happened to be the boy behind the mask? 

He didn’t want to think about that. He caught a look of alarm stretch across her face as if she couldn’t believe what she had told him. 

“See Chaton, I knew I didn’t want to tell you. I never planned on hurting you.” Ladybug turned her face back towards the melting sky, her words drifting off in a huff of cold breath. 

Hurt? He didn't feel hurt. Sure, his world felt like it was both crumbling and coming back together at the same time. Each of his identity felt like a tectonic plate, overlapping and reshaping everything he had come to know. 

“Just forg-” 

“Are you gonna tell him?” Adrien cut her off hastily. He needed to know. His body was frozen in place but his mind was moving faster than it had ever before. 

“As if,” She huffed out the words before pulling herself up and dusting off. “I’ve only just recently been able to hold a legitimate conversation with him. For all, I know he’ll go running off and end things there.” 

“Ladybug,” Chat tugged at her arm gently to pull her attention back towards him. “You don’t really think he’ll do that, do you?” 

“I-I don’t know.” Shakingly, she tried to pull away from her arm. He responded by gripping tighter, she gave in and collapsed onto his shoulder. “My friendship with him is so important to me Chat.” Her voice was muffled into his skin, but he could hear her constricted hurt through it. 

He hugged her tighter as a quiet sob escaped her lips. His wish was to always make her happy, yet right now he was the root of all her pain and couldn’t tell her. 

“Thanks, Kitty.” A strangled response curled out of Ladybug in a hiccup. He pulled back slightly to look at her slightly tinted pink face with tears shining down the sides. 

“I think you should tell him.” Chat gently wiped off the last of her tears. The cold air from where she had been standing previously hit him abruptly. 

“I’m surprised you’re encouraging me to do this.” 

“Maybe,” He playfully shrugged to lighten the mood. “But I’m as honest as a cat can be.”

“So not very honest?” The tinge of sadness still sat in her voice, yet it was slowly being replaced by a tone of friendly banter. 

“Why I’ll have you know that I’m as true as my tail!” He huffed his chest out jokingly as a blimp of cheerfulness crossed her face. 

“What would I do without you as my best friend to help me.” Ladybug gave him one of those showstopping smilies that made everything around her look blurry in comparison. 

“I could ask you the same thing.” She saluted him off as he bounced off the roof and went his separate way. 

Back home both of them drifted off to sleep with the thoughts of ladybugs and tiny cats.

* * *

  
She told Chat. The memory was playing in the back of her head the instant her eyes awoke the next morning. She wanted to chide herself for feeling lighter after speaking to him. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Marinette couldn’t wipe the grin off her face when thinking of her friend. Her whole morning felt like it was drenched in sunlight because of Chat. A bounce to her step on her entire walk to school. 

He had taken it so well, she was almost surprised. Though she couldn’t tell if it was more shock than anything else. For a moment she saw Chat’s face freeze. He looked fragile as stone, that if she reached out to touch him he would crumble beneath her fingertips. Yet, not even a moment later he snapped out of his daze and returned back to his normal features. 

Even with the glowing feeling, he left in her heart, which she wanted an explanation for, a part of her craved to know more about his past. His soft-spoken words when speaking about his mom sprung up questions about his past she hadn’t ever considered. Marinette decided to tuck away that questioning for later. If he didn’t want to share anymore she decided not to pursue bothering him. 

Upon entering her classroom, the sunlight that had been following her the whole morning beamed back through the windows, making her surroundings enveloped in a blanket of warmth. 

When Adrien walked in a moment later, smiling faintly while chatting with Nino, the sunlight that dusted the room gathered in pools around him. 

Their eyes met a second later, her mind froze. For that second, the smile on his face flashed next to the one Chat Noir gave her last night. 

“I think you should tell him.” 

His voice echoed in her ears. 

Chat was right. Any hesitation she had the past few days was going to be shoved away, and she was ready to face her feelings head-on. 

“Hey Marinette,” Adrien greeted her the same as every morning. 

That didn’t stop her from doing a mental double-take. 

It sounded so similar, and still, she couldn’t let it settle. There was no way that Adrien was her Chat Noir. It would be too much. Too lucky even for Ladybug. 

“Marinette is everything alright you look sick,” his hand wrapped around hers, concern in his eyes. 

Marinette was frozen in shock, startled by the deep green staring back at her. 

Did they always look like that? 

“Morning Adrien,” Stiffly, Marinette pulled herself together and shook off the coincidence. Plenty of people have green eyes, Adrien and Chat just happened part of that group of people. 

Focus Marinette! Clearing her throat, she shook off any remaining questions. 

“So, I was thinking about our project last night.” Marinette pulled her hand away to sort through her bag and find the outline.   
Adrien hummed softly in agreement from across the desk, “I got a free evening today and was thinking that after my fencing practice I could go home with you to work on it.” 

“Yeah, that’s perfect with me,” Marinette nodded along, trying her best to conceal any enthusiasm. A quick glance up from her worksheets, it wasn’t hard for her to notice he had a bright smile plastered across his face. 

Marinette wanted to tell him right that second. Her heartbeat quickened and her throat closed up. She had to remind herself to shove away any hesitation and tell him straight out that she liked him. 

“Hey, Adrien.” 

His eyesight hadn’t moved from when they last talked a few seconds ago, Marinette felt her actions stilled by the soft gentle look in his eyes. The green tint entrapped her as every fiber in her body screamed for her to speak up. 

_Are you gonna tell him?_

The words died on her lips. Memories of Chat sprang through her mind and forced her to bite back on her confession. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair to either Adrien or Chat for her to do so suddenly pour her heart out. If Adrien said no, she’d make things awkward for the rest of the project. Yet, if he said yes… it would break Chat Noir’s heart. Just weighing the two decisions alone was enough for her to make up her mind. Marinette knew that she’d rather see Chat being happy than causing any more pain to him. 

“I’m just glad I get to work with you that’s all.” 

* * *

  
  
“I couldn’t do it.” 

Ladybug launched herself above the rooftop next to him as the Paris traffic flowed beneath their feet. 

Chat Noir watched her pace back and forth for a considerable amount of time, followed by loud mutterings of her in-head pro’s and con’s list. 

“It’s not even been a full day and you gave up already?” His voice was very obviously meant to tease her, however, her brow still furrowed to come up with a response. 

“Well not exactly.” 

He wanted to laugh, or, run up and hug her. Both seemed like valid options. 

Instead, he sat there with a thin-lipped expression as he pretended to not know what every the thought of Adrien Agreste was. 

“I mean I could physically do it, but Adrien’s too busy, plus the timing is not right.” She sighed before flopping down next to him. 

His lady was so painfully wrong. If she decided to show up at his house one early morning with a boombox he would still consider the timing to be perfect. 

“When do you see him again?” Chat Noir tried his best to not sound like he was pushing the question, while at the same time, appearing to still not know the answer. 

“In less than an hour! How can I focus on getting anything done when all I want to do is kiss him!” Ladybug let out a frustrated groan as she pulled on the end of her pigtails. 

“I’m sure every single person would happily be obliged to kissing you overdoing a boring school project.” 

Especially since he was the one who would be getting the attention. As much as he enjoyed hearing her speak of him like this, he couldn’t help the guilt that bubbled up knowing it was wrong for him to enjoy tormenting her. 

“Chat!” she leaned over to slap the side of his arm. 

“Me-owch! My lady, you should understand that I truly meant it when I said I only speak the truth.” His grin was met with an over-the-top eye roll. 

For the next few minutes their time was passed with more bickering and soon the buzzing of Ladybugs yoyo gave to an abrupt end in their short-lived back and forth argument. 

“That’s my alarm, Chaton I gotta get back home.” She started to launch herself off before his words made her coming reeling back. 

“I still think you should tell him what you think of him.” He noticed her slight flinch before she curtly nodded and promised to do so later. 

He followed her fashion and skidded down into the alley below to de-transform before seeing her again. Even if they were separated for a small time, it warmed his heart to see her again soon. 

The smell of freshly baked bread that carried down the glistening streets reminded him that In less than one minute he’d be with Marinette. 

He loved her. It wasn’t difficult for him to admit, and even with the knowledge she felt the same, he hadn’t been prepared to ever tell her. 

With the welcoming chime of the bell above him and the warmth of oven nestled in the far corner, Adrien came to realize what mattered the most to him. 

Marinette. 

After the short greetings with her parents, he took the stairs up to her lofted room. A blush crawled unto her face as she let him, only again reminding him of what he needed to do that day. 

If Marinette wasn’t going to tell him, he was going to take responsibility. Or at the very least, he was going to spend the rest of his evening trying to get her to feel the fluttering comfort in her heart that he felt around her. 

Adrien soon learned that even with the bravado of a superhero behind him, it’s much more difficult to tell her his feelings than to save the entirety of Paris. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one may have ended a bit boring, but there is something big in store for next time. My next update shouldn't be as long, yet sadly I cannot promise anything. I also have an idea for another series, but I do promise to finish this one out to the end, so don't think I'll stop writing this to work on something else. 
> 
> I love to read all the comments, so please share your thoughts, I'll always do my best to respond! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one!


	7. Nobody will notice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay a new chapter! I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to get out the next chapter, but, I am getting my wisdom teeth out in a week so while I'm recovering maybe I'll write something up!
> 
> Thank you to all the support on the last chapter I had some lovely comments that I really appreciated! 
> 
> Unto this one!

Call it Ladybug luck, but Marinette was beyond impressed with how quickly she was able to clean her room. She and Tikki whirled around the room to clear off any mess that could be scavenged. From used mugs to the embarrassing photos, Marinette made her room the pristine place for working. 

As she flopped onto her bed, a faint knocking came from the other side of the door. 

“Tikki, he’s here!” Marinette scrambled back up, attempting to pull her disheveled appearance together last minute. 

“You got this Marinette don’t let it get to your head!” The Kwami gave Marinette the push she needed to get in front of the door. With a final nod sent her way, Marinette swung her door open as Tikki swept herself away into a hiding spot. 

Adrien stood outside with a wild smile her door with a wild smile and a plate full of cookies in his arms as a textbook was tucked underneath. 

“Your parents wouldn’t let me up until I brought food up with me,” he rolled his eyes before peering over her shoulders “Is there anywhere I can put this down?” 

“Yeah, uh, I have an open desk on the side, but now I don’t know where we can sit…” As she lost herself into thought, Adrien rolled around her body to place the platter down. A second latter Marinette felt a tug at her ankle as she started to tumble towards the ground. 

Her arms naturally reached out to stop her undesirable fall, as she winced in anticipation of her fall, when, a sudden swoop tucked her away from any pain. 

Before she opened her eyes, she felt the rumble of his chest as Adrien laughed from above. 

“How about we just stay on the floor, for now, I wouldn’t want you to trip on anything else.” He gently clamored off of her and offered a hand to assist her into a seating position. 

“Don’t get your hopes up, I take pride in my clumsiness.” The banter came off of her easily, with each laugh that escaped his lips filling her up with more confidence. 

Said confidence would shatter when she made eye contact with him. To busy herself away from her dwindling fears, Marinette opted to pick up her poster board that was resting against her wall. Adrien was running through their list of criterias while sorting through her different markers. As she laid the poster out in front of him, he uncapped a red marker to write down a title. Before she could move her arm out of the way, the red ink slid across and down her hand. 

What was the about being lucky earlier? Marinette couldn’t recall. 

“Oh, Marinette I’m so sorry I didn’t see your arm there!” Adrien lurched forward to grab her arm as if somehow the mark had led to any actual damage. 

“It’s fine,” her gaze followed his unto her arm. After a shower or two, it would come off. “I’ll go grab a towel and wipe it off.” 

“Wait a minute, I can fix it!” Adrien tightened his grip as she obliged and brought the market back down on her arm. Before scribbling away he looked up at her for confirmation. “I just want one-hundred-percent confirmation that I can continue to use your arm as a sketchbook.” 

Rather than pressing her already poor luck, Marinette just nodded. 

“I gotta hear it out loud,” his mouth was pressed in a thin line even though his eyes were sparkling with hidden laughter. “I’m not gonna draw all over my best friend without total permission.” 

Did he really see her as his best friend? She wasn’t in any mood to press further. 

“Yes, I Marinette, give-” 

“Ms. Marinette without a last name” 

She pushed him lightly with her free arm, “My apologies, I Marinette DUPAIN-CHENG give full confirmation to sir Adrien Agreste on the right side, 32 degrees west of me, to sketch on my arm.” 

“Sounds good, but…” he brought his open hand to tap his chin, “I’m gonna need it written out in a signed contract.” 

“I’m revoking my permission if you keep this up.” 

“Alright fine!” Both of them laughed for a brief moment as he brought the tip of the marker back down unto her arm. She watched him change the red slash into a vine with leaves sputtering out and bugs with tiny hearts surrounding them. 

She didn’t even notice he finished until after she heard the pop of the marker cap going back on and the triumphant look on his face. 

“See I’m a true artist, best in all of France if I do say so myself.” 

Marinette felt dazzled by his happiness, even in the simplest form, he was so proud of his work. And in all honesty, she never wanted to wipe off his small masterpiece. Even if it was undoubtedly crummy. 

“Thanks, Adrien. I really like it.” It was true. Regardless of his art talent being on par with a middle schooler, the fact he was so willing and eager to waste time on her made Marinette remember what it was about Adrien that made him stand out so much to her. Regardless of all his charms, he was, to his core, a good human being. 

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely noticed the way he was dwindling vines down the side of their poster. 

“Adrien no we need that!” 

“What do you mean? Everything looks a bit better with a touch of the Agreste art talent if you ask me.” 

If you asked Marinette the same question, she would also have to agree. 

* * *

Everything was pink. The warm colors covering her walls, the gentle tint to his cheeks, and the feeling in his head. All of it could be described as pink. 

Only after he rubbed his eyes did he notice the pink dusting the sky outside the window. 

Adrien couldn’t remember the name of the playlist Marinette had put on, only that the soft piano drew his attention away from the scattered note sheets on her floor. The plate of cookies he brought in was left to only a few crumbs with two half glasses of water sitting beside. 

How much time had passed? 

It felt like only half an hour, yet, it was clear from the yawn slipping from Marinette and the natural light inside her room slowly dimming down. 

Adrien could only recall the multiple conversations that he had with her. The more they worked together, the more comfortable he noticed her actions. Rather than being tensed, she slowly loosened up and grew to the point of being able to laugh freely at his jokes or mock him back with her own sense of humor. 

Adrien couldn’t care less if she was shy, but, having those moments where she peeks up and out enough to be loud or bold gave him a churning feeling in his stomach. 

Not that he was complaining. 

“Marinette we should do this more often.” 

“You mean work on school work together? I wouldn’t mind doing that!” 

“No I mean we should meet up together more often.” 

The creeping blush from the back of Marinette’s face sprung up to wrap itself around her cheeks. 

“Yeah! I would really like that a lot!” 

Adrien couldn’t stop finding it so adorable. He felt so special to know how happy she was. 

“So, when would you be free?”

“Oh!” Marinette looked back at him alarmed. Her eyes grew a little wide before she scrambled up to grab at a notebook at her bedside. 

“I didn’t realize you meant this soon.” She sat on the side of her bed and flipped through the rose-colored pages. 

“The sooner the better. I like being with you.” He didn’t put much thought into what he was saying, well, because it was the truth. 

Adrien leaned his head down against the front of her legs as Marinette continued to search through her journal. 

“Here’s my schedule for the next week, unless you’re busy then I can show you the rest of the month.” As she spoke, Adrien grabbed the book out of her hands and looked at the neatly laid out format. Each section was filled out with small boxes with small descriptions such as; design new dress or watch Manon. 

“I have no fencing this Wednesday.” Adrien leaned further back unto her legs to look up at her. With his thumb pressed against the day underneath the time when school let out. 

Marinette looked down at him hesitantly. “Are you that day is good for you?” 

“Do you not want to see me on Wednesday?” His tone was mocking but that didn’t stop the defensive claim that she responded with. 

“No that’s not it at all! You’re always having work to do and I don’t wanna take up you’re limited free time.” Marinette switched her eye level back to the floor. 

“Didn’t I already say that I like being with you?” He asked with an eyebrow raised in her direction. 

“Well yes, but-” 

“Marinette stop trying to make excuses for me!” Adrien jumped up and yanked her pillow off the side of her bed and tossed it at her. She flinched out of the way and used it as a cover for a moment.

He reached over and pulled the pillow down from her face and down to her lap. 

“Marinette.” 

“Yeah?” 

She slowly looked over at him again. Her grip on the edge of the pillow tightened as he held it overlap. He moved on hand over to cup hers over the side. 

“Can I see a pen?” With the hand that wasn’t clasped under his, Marinette turned to the side and grabbed a pale red pen to hand over to him. 

Adrien reached over to grab the schedule from the ground and used the pen to write ADRIEN down on the chart. The shade shimmered out against the light pink underneath it. 

“You really like that color, huh.” He smiles as he says it, his eyes switching to look back over the art on her arm. 

“Pink? Yeah, it’s my favorite.” She smiled back at him. No longer did he notice the falter in her voice or the hesitation to meet his eyes. 

“Mine too.”   
Adrien felt his throat go dry as his gaze drew towards her soft face. He adjusted the journal over to the side of the bed and gave her hand a squeeze. 

His heart swelled as he gathered his courage to regain his voice. 

“Mari is it alright if I do something?” 

“What’s that?” Her voice was faint and her eyes shimmered back in reflection of his. The pounding of his heart was nearly louder than the whisper which came from her. His hand skimmed up to her forearm and traced the vines the splattered across her forearm. 

A hard knock came at the door forcing them to spring apart from each other. 

“Marinette, let Adrien know that his driver is here!” Mrs. Chen’s voice came out through the hollow door and pulled them away from their enclosed space. 

Adrien sighed loudly as he dragged himself up to gather his things off her floor and back into his bag. 

“I had a nice time today,” Adrien called out from over his shoulder, hoping she wouldn’t notice the heaviness in his voice. 

“Yeah, me too.” Marinette got up to open the door for him, shooting one last smile to him as he left the cozy bright bakery into the dark emptiness of his car. 

* * *

_I was gonna kiss her_

That night Adrien pulled his phone out to text Ladybug again. If he couldn’t tell her to her face yet he was going to at least let her know. 

A minute hadn’t even passed when his phone vibrated back.

_Who? _

He leaned forward and grinned widely. 

_Marinette. The girl I told you about. _

“You know you can’t keep this up forever kid.” Plagg peered over his shoulder. His voice held little sympathy but his eyes showed concern. 

“I know,” Adrien sighed. “I’ll tell her soon. I’m just not ready yet. I don’t want her to think I like her for being Ladybug.” 

Another message came in from her. 

_Do you like her?_

Adrien’s cheeks warmed up slightly. 

_Is it not obvious that she means more than anything to me? _

More time passed by and Adrien worried he said the wrong thing to her when his phone buzzed from his side. 

_You should have kissed her then if you feel that way. I can’t picture her not sharing those emotions._

“I know.” He told himself while a sense of bittersweetness took him over. He changed his lock screen to a pink ladybug before setting his phone away for the night and eagerly waiting to see her again tomorrow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that fluffy enough? I hope you liked this one! 
> 
> As I have the bullet point for the next chapter, I'm pretty sure it'll be from Marinette's perspective for the most part. However, a lot is probably going to happen so I apologize in advance if it doesn't come out in a timely matter. I want to say less than a month as Thanksgiving break is next week but I can't make promises. 
> 
> Got any thoughts? I'd love to hear them! See all you lovelies later!


	8. Let's get out of here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out recovery from Wisdom Tooth Removal sucks. But ta-dah!!! Another chapter! 
> 
> I'm currently working on the next one, however, finals are rapidly approaching so I may next update could very well be a week or a month. But, I promise to make the next update worth it, I have a lot I'm already writing down for it! 
> 
> Enjoy this one for now!

It wasn’t often that Marinette got up early for school, but with a poster tucked under her left arm and a bag of bread crumbs clutched in her other hand, she pounded down the stairs and to the park twenty minutes before the first bell would ring. 

She whipped around the corner following the familiar sounds of birds cooing, from the corner of her eye she caught the flock of them surrounding her target. 

“Mr. Ramier!” Marinette called, catching his attention. 

“Ah, Marinette how lovely to see you!” He waved her over and scooted father left on his bench, allowing her to sit beside him. The surrounding pigeons backed warily yet stayed close enough to investigate the pair. 

“Good morning sir, I brought a few leftovers from my parents' bakery, I thought you might enjoy some company.” 

“Great company is always needed.” He nodded to her as she cracked open the plastic bag. 

Marinette gently handed a few crumbs to him as more of the pigeons began to gather around. As she tossed the pieces out, the birds scattered to chase after the broken bits of bread. A few of them stayed eagerly perched on the sides of the bench. 

“I’ve been thinking lately,” Mr. Ramiers voice spoke up calmly above the cooing of the birds. “I’ve spent so much time upset over little things in life. I mean look at all the trouble I’ve caused for our heroes.” He laughed lightly at his comment, but his eyes showed a slight concern behind his words. 

“I’m sure they don’t mind it.” Marinette pitched in, tossing the last bits of bread across the sidewalk. 

“Perhaps not,” He tossed the small bag into the trashcan next to the bench. “Yet I still allow myself to get overwhelmed easily.” He paused to lightly assist one of the pigeons unto his lap. “However, I think I'm beginning to understand why.” 

Marinette tucked her legs under the bench as she watched the small animal flutter in his lap. 

“Although I do find pleasure in feeding my little friends alone, sometimes I forget how lonely I am.” The bird flew off and left the two of them alone. 

“Your kindness is something uncomparable miss Marinette. I appreciate that you are able to show an old man like me what it means to be a good person.” 

“It’s really no trouble for me.” 

“I understand that, yet, that doesn’t change how good your heart is,” With the aid of his cane, he slowly stood up. “Keep your heart clean. There’s so much potential in someone with your demeanor and I wish that you won’t let it die out.” 

“Thank you Mr. Ramier. I’m glad I could help you.” Marinette. got up and dusted off the front of her jeans. “I’ll keep what you said in mind.” With a wave of her hand, she pivoted her way out of the park and towards the front of her school. 

To top her good morning, Marinette somehow made it to the doorway of her classroom five minutes before the first bell would go off. 

“Girl, I did not know you had the ability to get here on time.” Alya teased Marinette as she slid into the desk beside her. 

“Oh shush,” She dug a small bottle of hand sanitizer out of her bag, carefully avoiding the artwork that still took up a larger portion of her upper arm. “It’s not like I missing anything by being a few minutes late.” 

“Whatever you say,” Alya nudged her with her shoulder as she noticed the design on Marinette’s arm. “Marinette, you better have not designed an entire dress on the side of your arm again.” Alya tugged at Marinette’s arm to get a better peek at the red ink. 

“Actually you can blame someone else this time.” Marinette pulled her arm back to point at the seat taken be the blonde in front of her. Laughter was bubbling up in her voice. 

“Why Marinette, who could this mysterious artist be?” A mischievous smirk grew across Alya’s face as she swiveled around to look at Adrien. 

Alya pounced at the back of his seat, causing him to jump upright and rigid. “Adrien, is it true that you marked up my friend like this?” For dramatic purposes, she pointed at Marinette as a sigh escaped her lips. 

“Huh? Oh yeah,” He smiled brightly as Alya questioned him. “I thought Marinette could use a bit more color.” 

“I agree with you on that apart, however…” 

“However?” Marinette pitched in. She sent a look towards Alya that clearly read; what on earth do you think you’re doing? 

“I think that it’s unfair of you to have the right to illustrate on her and yet she can’t do the same! The audacity Adrien!” Alya leaned her head onto the table and look up to Marinette. In her hand was an uncapped black pen. “I think you know what you need to do.” She whispered the words and pointed her eyes at Marinette. 

“Adrien, do you mind?” Marinette giggled and she shifted forward in her seat. 

“Not at all, do what you please.” He placed his arm in front of Marinette’s desk and smiled back up at her. 

With one hand holding his arm, Marinette began to doodle out a small moon in the front of his palm, surrounding it was a splash of stars that followed to the back of his hand. The stars connected together in a line of constellations and as the bell rung Marinette loopy signed her name over the top of his thumb. 

“And now you have your own Dupain-Cheng original.” She whispered over to him as she passed the pen back over to Alya. 

His eyes looked into the small stars with growing wonder. With the same whimsical face, he looked back at Marinette to whisper a rushed and excited “thank you.” 

* * *

The last class of the day and an Akuma decided to strike. 

Great. 

Adrien managed to sneak around easy enough. Yet, there was a slight problem. 

Marinette didn’t seem to find the chance to leave. As of right now, Chat Noir was chasing down an Akuma with no idea of how to stop it. And there was no Ladybug insight to assist him. 

He had two options. Tackle this on his own, or, drag Marinette into the battle scene. Both felt impossible but the latter was presented to be doable. 

Chat vaulted himself back to the school, slamming into the door for the classroom that she was in. 

“Akuma on the streets! I’d advise you all head home, staying here isn’t wise.” The shock wore off the students as they all filed out of the classroom in a rush, without thinking he grabbed unto Marinette’s waist and tugged her to the side. 

“Ow, knock that off!” She huffed out, pulling himself away from her. 

“Sorry just doing my job!” He quickly lifted his arms in defense before tugging Marinette out of the school. 

“Isn’t there an Akuma on the run?” Irritation seeped in her voice as she followed him down the stairs. 

He waited for everyone else in the halls to run out as he opened the door for the two of them. “I’m under orders to assist the loveliest the person back home.” Chat grinned over at her from behind the door. 

“And who gave you those orders?” Marinette poked at his nose while following him out. 

“Ladybug herself.” 

“Likely story,” Marinette scoffed as she complied with him, walking beside him down to the street home. “Well thank you for taking care of me at least.” Her strides kept up with his across the sidewalk. 

The wind sped up, sending chills down Marinette’s arms

“Anything for the most incredible girl in all of Paris.” The words flowed as naturally from his mouth as the icy glare he received back from her. 

“I think you’re laying it on a bit too heavy Chat.” She continued to rub her hands together from the cold, something he suddenly picked up on. 

“Here,” He tore off his gloves and handed them to her without even pausing to think. “We just gotta get out of here, I’m sure Ladybug will be here any minute.” 

Marinette fumbled to put them on as he reached to grab her hand in his. A second later Marinette forced to pull him into a stop. Her fingers traced over the front of his hand. 

“Chat.” Marinette shakily paused as she looked over his bare hand in hers. 

“Yes, Princess?” His voice dried up. 

“Why is my signature right here?” She ghosted over the stars, the gears in her head turning rapidly. 

He was about to speak up when he saw the wide eyes that met his. It was the only confirmation she needed as his name slipped out of her mouth. 

“Adrien.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was quite the ending, wasn't it? ;) 
> 
> I can't wait for the next one, I have so many ideas!! 
> 
> Thank you, again, for checking this chapter out! If you have any thoughts, don't be afraid to leave a comment. 
> 
> oh... also... we're halfway through! Or at least for what I have for drafted ideas. If things follow to what I'm currently drafting out this fic is at the halfway point!! Thank you so much for all the support so far, I hope that the rest of this story will continue to be engaging!


End file.
